New York's National
Weather Radio Station Disappears, Reappears,
Disappears Again – Just in Time for Snow
Storm

Click image above to see full-size
map.

The
NOAA National Weather Radio Station (KWO35),
which is a primary weather information
source for the New York City area, went off
the air without notice in July of 2013,
leaving the nation’s largest city in the
dark. No small amount of mystery surrounds
the reason for the station’s troubles and
when it will return to service for the
residents, mariners and travelers who depend
on it. This is especially the case in light
of the FCC’s recent clarification that its
rules for Information Radio Stations allow
the rebroadcast of NOAA Weather Radio if
local public safety officials deem the
content to further the protection of life
and property.
A National Weather Service representative
had stated in emails to the New Jersey
Borough of North Plainfield that “We will
continue to place KWO35 back in operation …
any time a life threatening weather hazard
is forecast” and later explained “Through
this upcoming [January] storm, the weather
radio transmission will continue to be in
flux with you receiving the signal, at
times, but always.”

At times, but always? Is that a new federal
doublespeak?

Sure enough, the station’s 162.55 MHz signal
kicked in bright and early on January 2nd in
advance of the big snow storm that socked
the Northeast later that day. But by
afternoon it was again AWOL, and remained
that way throughout the storm. It remains
off the air.

The reason for the difficulties, according
to the National Weather Service, is an
”intermodulation” between NOAA’s
transmission and another agency’s
transmitter in the immediate area, which is
resulting in interference on the Coast
Guard’s Channel 16 – a channel used for
international maritime distress calls.
Technicians tell The Source that it is not
clear why the interference suddenly
appeared, since the transmitters involved
have been in service on the same frequencies
for years. The National Weather Service
issued a statement December 15th, stating
“We have installed a filter on the
transmitter ... which reduced, but did not
eliminate, this problem.” On January 6th,
the National Weather Service acknowledged to
Borough representatives by telephone that
the agency has recently engaged a private
firm to troubleshoot the problem.

In the meantime, the National Weather
Service’s lack of service to the Big Apple
is a big embarrassment.

Lee Hovis
Nocatee Operations Manager

Really Reaching
Residents

Home Owner
Associations Install
Information Radio Stations to Prepare for
Emergencies

FLORIDA
& CALIFORNIA: On a good day, Lee Hovis talks
to visitors and homeowners as they navigate
the North Florida Resort Community “Nocatee”
about how to participate in events and take
advantage of the area’s amenities. On a bad
day, Hovis may be advising residents how to
take steps to ride out an approaching
hurricane. It’s all made possible through an
innovative Information Radio service
appropriately named “Nocatee Radio.”
Residents and visitors receive the 1630 kHz
radio signal on their car radios within a
3-5 mile radius of the community.

Strategically placed signs promote
the station to residents and
visitors.

The station's broadcasts are designed to
direct visitors and homeowners to venues in
the community, such as, the new water park,
bike trails, neighborhood developments,
community center and emergency services.The station's broadcasts are designed to
direct visitors and homeowners to venues in
the community, such as, the new water park,
bike trails, neighborhood developments,
community center and emergency services.
(Listen to a sample.) The District is
developing a plan to utilize the radio
service to reach residents during the next
emergency, when power outages could restrict
their ability to gain access to news and
information via the Internet, cable/TV and
other methods that depend upon electricity.

Hovis, the Community Development District’s
operations manager, states, “This radio
service is getting a lot of praise. And,
within the next few months, I will even be
able to update the broadcasts from my
computer at home.” The station’s programming
is currently controlled on the District’s
Ethernet network.

Because Nocatee is organized as a Community
Development District (CDD) – a unit of
government under Florida law – it can be
licensed by the FCC to operate the service.
Private community organizations such as Home
Owner Associations (HOAs) can coordinate
with a local unit of government (county,
township, etc.) to operate a station.

The first private community on record to
initiate an Information Radio service was
the Pine Mountain Club Property Owners
Association in 1999. Located just south of
Bakersfield, California, and situated right
on the San Andreas Fault, the Pine Mountain
Club station keeps residents apprised of
earthquake events, which, according to
operator Bob Clark, “Is something we, in
California, have to deal with…”

In 2004, the Wildland Residents Association
near Santa Barbara, California, began a
similar service called the “San Marcos Pass
Emergency Radio Service (SMPERS)” – which
has been called into action numerous times
to inform residents evacuating neighborhoods
in advance of approaching wildfires.
(See
the "Putting Out Fires" article.) States
Association President Michael Williams,
“When the power goes out, telephone lines
are down, there are no computers and
everything stops, this system allows anyone
to turn on the radio to hear emergency
advisories.”

The first example of a gated community
implementing an Information Radio service is
Del Webb’s Sun City Palm Desert Association
in Southern California. The development
covers 1,600 acres and has 4,995 homes and
9,000 residents in season. The Association
recently installed an Information Radio
Station managed by a team of resident
volunteers.

According to team leader Chuck Holliman, a
power outage in the summer 2011 made obvious
the need for the station. “Many residents of
our desert community lost both air
conditioning and communications – and
therefore were unable to learn about
emergency cooling centers available to them.
This radio station allows us to provide
essential information to our residents in
future emergencies.” The station is powered
by the Association’s generator should grid
power be lost.

The Association’s Emergency Broadcast Radio
Team (EBRT) is on call 24/7 and can activate

Riverside County commissioner John
Benoit (left) and Sun City
Association president Steve Bailey
inaugurate the new Information Radio
service.

prerecorded radio messages stored in the
station’s memory that match specific threats
that might impact the community: earthquake,
flooding, wildfire and power outage. Once
the threat is better known, the team can
broadcast live programming and record
special updates to keep residents and
visitors apprised.
(See Sun City Palm Desert news release.)

Because the 1620 kHz signal can be received
for miles outside the property boundaries,
locals in their cars or with battery-powered
radio receivers can learn if they may safely
return home after an incident has occurred.
This is a real possibility in a desert
community where flash flooding, wildfires
and earthquakes can sever transportation
lines or otherwise make travel unsafe for an
extended period of time.

Sun City Palm Desert Association operates
the
Information Radio Station in conjunction
with the Riverside County Fire Department,
the FCC licensee for the service.

Florida
DOT Asks
Permission to Nuzzle Up

FCC
Considers Bending Rules to Allow Cozier
Station Spacing

The
Florida Department of Transportation wants
to operate two Highway Advisory Radio
Stations (TIS) on I-595 near Fort
Lauderdale. Not a problem, except that the
two stations would be located as close as 35
miles from the primary signal contour of a
broadcast station in Marco Island, Florida,
which is on the same frequency. Eighty miles
is the "bear" minimum separation distance in
FCC
Rules (Part 90.242), which all operators
have respected since the in-band TIS rules
were adopted in the early 1990s.

The DOT is asking the FCC for a waiver to
operate the stations at the closer distance,
despite the interference potential, it says,
citing non-technical reasons; asserting that
the TIS stations would not be in the
broadcast station's market area and that
they could be used in a future hurricane
evacuation plan. Perhaps sensing that
granting the waiver would set a new
precedent, the FCC is asking for comment.

“That 3-kHz TIS filter [on TIS Transmitters]
is a joke! But the burning question is WHY
is this filter [there] to begin with? Are
the big money radio stations afraid of a TIS
station as competition?

"PUH-LEEEZE!”

Jeff Laurence - Autumn Hill Studios,
Franklin, NC

STATION FOR SALE

“Just wanted to let you know that I
purchased a [pre-owned] Information Radio
Station at public auction last Saturday. If
you know of someone needing some or all of
it, let me know.”

Dan - Wauseon, OH

Editor's Note:
Contact Information Station
Specialists to get pricing on this pre-owned
package or individual components that
comprise it. Included are transmitter, voice
system, antenna system, cabinet, arrestors,
etc., which may be used as spares for
existing operators.

Community
"Flamethrower"

“The Mayor has made our 'Flamethrower'
[Information Station on 1630 AM] status
official in his annual state-of-the-Borough
message at last night's council meeting. He
made reference to what the station has been
able to accomplish through severe weather
and his appreciation for this unique service
in our town, referencing it as 'The
Flamethrower.' He is a retired professional
firefighter and understands the nature of
emergencies and the necessity of getting
accurate, vital information to the public.